Watching Norfolk Southern trains at Shawsville, Va.

I want to take you to a place that has become a favorite of mine to visit again and again. Shawsville, Va., situated along the westbound assault of Christiansburg Mountain on Norfolk Southern’s Christiansburg District, is a spot on the former Norfolk & Western main line between Norfolk, Va., and Cincinnati.

For those that regularly see my photography, you know that I love shooting at one particular location in Shawsville, just east of the downtown area. I stumbled upon the location several years ago, but never began shooting and taking advantage of its photographic possibilities until last year.

The compelling attributes include the sweeping S-curve, the white picket fence, the distant mountains, and the sound of a train traversing the grade. I am drawn to this spot.
Situated on the steepest part of the 1.5-percent-westbound climb, train flanges squeal and engines in notch 8 fill the air. The grade is lengthy, holding at a steady 1.5 percent from Elliston, Va., to Christiansburg, Va., a distance of 12 miles.

You can work with any type of lighting in this area, however, late afternoon light does compliment the location nicely, but early morning and afternoon will do from multiple angles.
I made a couple favorite shots in less than ideal conditions, such as fog or blue-hour lighting.

Not only do westbounds look nice at this location, but an ancient cemetery and an oak tree provide a unique composition for eastbounds descending the hill toward Roanoke.

One of my most memorable photographs was made on July 17, 2012. Early that day, I received word that Norfolk Southern's Virginian heritage locomotive was leading a train of westbound empty hoppers out of Norfolk en route to Norton, Va.

Watching its progress, I anxiously waited for the train to pass Lynchburg so I could head east and intercept it. At approximately 6 p.m., train No. 821 departed the yard at Roanoke and began the westbound trek to Bluefield. Roughly 45 minutes later, the train entered Shawsville with late-afternoon light glistening off the side of the freshly painted locomotive.  I couldn't have asked for a better scene! The Virginian is my favorite of the 20 heritage locomotives, and I was elated to capture it.

The sun was setting behind the Virginia hills as train No. 811 ground upgrade with 160 empties en route to Mullens, W.Va. The engineer had the two General Electric wide bodies notched out, as they lugged the heavy train. The white picket fence framed the shot and made it stand out from the rest.

About 20 minutes after sunset, the sound of locomotives in notch 8 filled the air, as train 821 struggled upgrade with a Dash-9 leading a former Conrail SD60M, which had engine trouble. The train had 170 cars and was bound for Weller Yard in Grundy, Va., along NS's Buchanan Branch.

On a glorious fall morning, Norfolk Southern’s beautifully restored F units lead an office car special toward Bluefield, W.Va., as they pass through the autumn scene of fallen leaves and a tree that still gleams with color.

Just after sunrise, No. 23G rolls downgrade with two GEVOs holding the lengthy intermodal train back on the descent to Roanoke, as they pass through Shawsville, disrupting the stillness of a quiet Monday morning.

Led by an ex-Conrail SD60I, train No. M35 storms upgrade with a heavily laden manifest train that has been re-routed off the former Southern Railway to the ex-N&W for unknown reasons. Late afternoon light glistens and illuminates the scene, as the train slowly climbs the hill en route to Bristol.

Thanks for joining me on this visit to my favorite photo location, and be sure to leave your feedback and comments in the section below!